One day advocacy campaign on HIV & AIDS with stakeholders of Longkhim and Chare blocks was held on October 2 at community hall, ADC office Longkhim.
The meeting was organized by the Development Association of Nagaland (DAN) TI Project supported by the Nagaland Legislature Forum on AIDS (LFA-Nagaland).
In the campaign the panel of speakers and solidarity speech was delivered by USBLA executive secretary, Yangli, Rev. C. Lima and Sangtam Baptist Church Tuensang, Pastor Rev. Dr. Yanger Sangtam.
Speaking at the programme, Rev. C Lima said HIV scenario in Nagaland was increasing. He also encouraged the churches and community to have a join responsibility towards the fight against HIV.
He appealed church pastors and council chairmen from different villages to work with commitment and be exemplary role models for the people especially on HIV issue.
Rev. Dr. Yanger stressed on the stigma related issue by giving an instance of how a 70-year old woman was infected with HIV while helping a rural woman during a child delivery. He said that she was infected innocently while delivering her mission work but people still consider it as social stigma.
Limala Sangtam also shared her life testimony saying that there is a life beyond HIV and also challenged the leaders and churches to come forward and speak about the HIV topic by means of spreading mass awareness so that the stigma and discrimination attached with the disease could be avoided.
She also appealed them to create an environment free from discrimination so that the suspected and vulnerable population may freely come forward for HIV testing at the early stage and access the available services from different government and NGOs agencies to live healthy and long life.
Resource person, LFA consultant Dr. Vinito L. Chishi, stressed on the churches’ response to HIV. He appealed the church and community to contribute for the cause of HIV & AIDS.
He also said that churches must talk freely on HIV topic instead of hiding as it would only increase the infection drastically.
“Church is the center of community so the policy and the agendas on health especially to HIV must come out from the community institute like churches” he added. He said that HIV is not medical subject but it’s a developmental issue.
Lamenting on the rise of HIV within the low income group and illiterate in the state, Chishi said that churches must start to raise a mission to combat HIV & AIDS under the tag, “together we can”.
The programme followed interactive session where leaders raised their doubts and shared the issue related to HIV-TB co-infection and doubts were clarified.
More than 150 participants from different village councils and church pastors, administrative officials, police personnel, student leaders, IDU and MSM clients and health staff attended the program.
Earlier, welcome address was delivered by project director, DAN TI Project Kyupise Sangtam. Gods’ blessing was invoked by associate pastor Longkhim Town Baptist Church, Likhumse.